Top 5 Recommendations for Your Luxury Kitchen

I was recently asked by Sacramento Interior Designer Rebecca Ward to identify the top 5 kitchen elements that every client beginning a kitchen remodel should be sure to consider when planning their renovation. My brain went into overdrive going through all the options and decisions that homeowners have to make during a kitchen remodel. Kitchens are such an integral part of how a family functions and is one of the most used rooms in the home so the opportunities for making that space function as fully as possible for each client has to be considered on a case by case basis.

Since every client will have different priorities from wine storage to a coffee center and from high performance appliances to a space that is kid friendly, I chose to focus on elements that are universal to ALL clients. These are my top 5 recommendations that will be valuable to anyone planning an upgrade to their kitchen.

#1- All of us have stood at the kitchen sink with our hand under the flow of water as we wait for it to heat up. Whether we’re filling a pot to boil, making a kettle of tea or soaking a 9x13 pan that has stuck on food… we need HOT water. If you’re like me you’ve also jumped head first into the carbonated water craze. I can’t get enough of it. 2 years ago I even purchased a Soda Stream just so I could make carbonated water and not have to buy disposable cans. My husband, on the other hand, prefers still water but the water from the tap isn’t cold enough and the water from the refrigerator takes FOREVER to fill a glass. The solution is Zip Water. This faucet is connected to a cube that goes under your sink and provides immediate, purified boiling, chilled and carbonated water from 1 single faucet. This is the perfect addition to any kitchen as it will reduce water waste as well as the environmental impact of bottled water and cans of carbonated water. It’s a must have for any new kitchen.

ZipWater Purcell Murray

#2 - When it comes to cooking the majority of clients say that the cooktop is their most used appliance. Since this appliance does some pretty heavy lifting, it’s vital to have one that functions as safely and consistently as possible. For the first decade of my career as a kitchen designer the go-to cooktop was gas. People were tired of the hassles of an electric cooktop and gas was what all the high end kitchens were expecting. Over the last 10 years we’ve seen a huge swing towards induction technology. Learn more about induction cooktops in this designer appliance link. We’re seeing more professional chefs and commercial kitchens transitioning to induction because the quality of cooking control is better on induction than it is on gas. Looking towards the future, there is a planned reduction and eventual elimination of all gas in residential construction so you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Bosch Induction appliancebuyersguide.com

#3 - I’m a cabinet nerd. I totally geek out on all things cabinet related so here’s one of the simplest design decisions that will improve the experience of cooking in your kitchen. Use full extension, high load capacity (55 lb or more) drawers everywhere. If your cabinets are mostly drawers you will have better access to your base storage. Rather than crouching down and having to pull out the items in the front in order to get to the long lost items that have been shoved in the back, it’s so much nicer to be able to pull open a drawer and see everything neatly organized and easily accessible. Good Housekeeping had some great tips on making the most of your Drawer Storage in this article last January. Just be sure to make certain you have a spot to store any tall stock pots or small appliances. Sometimes you can also store items on their side if they’re too tall to remain upright in the drawers.

Bellmont Drawer Dividers

#4 - Corner Storage is one of the other places to pay particular attention when designing a kitchen. There are 3 easy ways to make sure you’re not losing valuable storage space in your corners. The first is to use a “Super Susan.” This means that the corner base cabinet would have 2 Pac-Man shaped wood trays that spin independently. The top one is on a shelf in the center of the cabinet and the other mounted on the bottom of the cabinet. these spinning shelves DO NOT have the pole through the middle like the old “Lazy Susan” cabinets. The second is a unit called the Magic Corner. This is used in a blind corner cabinet and is a fantastic way to use the depth of the blind corner without having to reach your arm way back into the void! The final option for addressing a corner is to use a tall pantry cabinet that is also a blind corner cabinet. By using a series of pivoting trays that make access to the corner a simple and graceful solution. This can be a very effective way to use the vertical height of corners to their fullest!

#5 - The final aspect that is universal to all kitchens is the importance of the quality of the finish. When my sister was 4 years old she found a can of paint in our garage and thought she would be super helpful by repainting the family car. Needless to say, that was not a good paint job. There’s nothing better than a factory finish for cars and the same is true for cabinetry. An environment that is dust free, temperature controlled, contains a finishing booth and automated finishing machines will leave your cabinets with the toughest finishes available. Because your cabinets finish matters it’s important to do a bit of research before you make a purchase. Look out for water based paints or stains and beware of any finish that is applied on site. Ask what the warranty will be on not only the structure of the cabinets but on the finish as well. Be sure your money is well spent on the QUALITY of a superior finish.

I’m sure there are 30 or 40 other items that deserved to be on this list, but these are the one I selected to focus on today. I’d be happy to hear what elements you are considering and what splurges you feel may be worth it vs. the ones that are a bit over the top!

If you want to do some additional research, toe kick lighting, lighted drawers, touch-latch automatic opening cabinets, paneled appliances, refrigerator drawers, steam ovens, floating shelves and waterfall countertops were some of my other prospective design elements that were considered for this post.

Keeping it Cool: Induction Cooktop beats Gas in today's Modern Kitchen

One of the most common questions I get from clients who are considering a kitchen remodel is

"What's new in kitchens that I may not even know to ask for?"

There are several ways I could answer this questions, but the go-to reply is always: Induction Cooktops.

I must first start with a confession.  I'm a kitchen designer, not a chef. In truth, my husband cooks most of the meals in our home.  I've never found cooking or baking to be particularly enjoyable so I avoid it if possible. That being said, when I do cook I use the cooktop. 

When we purchased our home there was a range (cooktop and oven combo) that was all electric. Before we moved into the home I had a plumber run a gas line to the location so that I could have a dual-fuel range instead of all electric.  My thought at the time was that cooking on a gas cooktop was the "best" and would give me the most accurate temperature control. I'm glad I made the switch from standard electric to gas but if I had things to do over again I would have taken the road less traveled and opted for the third choice in cooking technology.

I was familiar with induction cooktops but felt intimidated by the prospect of having to buy all new pots and pans as well as spending so much more for the appliance itself. "Electric induction cooktops use a magnetic field to heat cookware rather than the cooking surface itself. This magnetic field is harmless and imperceptible -- until you put a metal pan on the burner. When that happens, the magnetic field reacts with iron molecules in the pan, exciting them and generating heat." 1

With the average 30" induction cooktops ranging from $1,200 to $2,000, there is a significant price difference between induction and their more common gas or electric predecessors.

So, what's so great about induction? Here's my top 7 reasons to invest in this technology:

1. Safety - The cooktop surface doesn't get hot in the same way an electric or gas cooktop does.  I once saw a demonstration where the salesman boiled a pot of water on an induction cooktop and when he moved the pot he put his hand directly on the surface where the pot had been.  If you have children, pets or any other people in your home who are occasionally careless with where they place flammable items or body parts...induction will save you from potential injury.
2. Energy Efficient - Since the energy generated to heat the pot is put directly into the pot itself rather than heating the air under and around the pot, there is no heat loss.
3. Doesn't add Heat to the room - Have you ever refused to use your cooktop on a warm summer day because you can't stand the thought of introducing more heat into the house? With induction there is almost no ambient heat introduced into a space. Your energy bill will thank you all summer long!
4. Speed - Induction cooktops will actually boil water FASTER than gas so you will spend less time waiting to cook and the task of preparing a meal will be accelerated so you can get on with more important and enjoyable things! Just be careful to adjust your cooking times so you don't burn dinner.
5. Control - Taking a soup from a boil to a simmer is instantaneous with induction. This was always the biggest problem with standard electric cooktops as it took quite a while for the heating elements to cool down.  With induction the response time is similar to cooking on gas. When you turn down the temperature, you'll see the results immediately in the pan.
6. Easy to keep Clean - This is a big one. The glass surface of an induction cooktop is easy to keep clean because it doesn't burn any bits of sauce or food that spills over the edge. Since the surface doesn't get hot in the same way as an electric cooktop, the spills are MUCH easier to wipe up when you're done cooking.  Also, since it doesn't have the metal grates of a gas cooktop, the process of cleaning it is as easy as wiping off the countertop.
7. Space Saver - Let's be honest, you aren't always cooking while in the kitchen. Sometimes your unloading groceries, hosting a party, helping kids with homework or any one of a million other things that take place in modern kitchens. Wouldn't an additional 30" of counter space come in handy? Induction cooktops are flat and smooth to integrate into the counter space around them. Who wouldn't love that?

Most cities have higher end showrooms that will allow you to demo an induction cooktop to see the product in action.  I highly recommend making an appointment with your local showroom to see if this technology would be a good fit in your new kitchen!

1- consumersearch.com